In this photo taken July 17, 2012 Suzy Favor Hamilton poses for a portrait at her home in Shorewood Hills a suburb of Madison, Wis. The three-time Olympian has admitted leading a double life as an escort. She apologized Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012, after a report by The Smoking Gun website said she had been working as a prostitute in Las Vegas.

Suzy Favor Hamilton, a middle distance running three-time Olympian, former U.S. record holder and one of the most decorated NCAA track and field athletes in history, admitted on Thursday to leading a double life as a $600-an-hour escort out of Las Vegas.

On Thursday, Favor Hamilton took to her Twitter account to address a story first reported by “The Smoking Gun” website that detailed the married mother’s double life as a Las Vegas call girl for a high-priced escort service.

“I was drawn to escorting in large part because it provided many coping mechanisms for me when I was going through a very challenging time with my marriage and my life,” Favor Hamilton said in a series of tweets. “It provided an escape from a life that I was struggling in. It was a double life.”

She said that she was drawn into the business after suffering from depression, adding that she is seeing a psychologist to help her get through the issues.

“I do not expect people to understand, but the reasons for doing this made sense to me at the time and were very much related to depression,” she tweeted.

Favor Hamilton has been working as a motivational speaker and maintains a real estate business in Madison, Wis., with her husband, who apparently knew about the work, according to the Smoking Gun, and urged her to stop. By Thursday, the business’s website had removed mentions of her name — including those in her husband’s biography.

Operating under the alias “Kelly Lundy,” she charged $600 for the first hour and $6,000 for a 24-hour stay, according to a copy of her profile. She would sometimes reveal her identity to her clients, the website said, a move that ultimately backfired after one leaked a story to The Smoking Gun. Favor Hamilton and her husband have a 7-year-old daughter.

The website said that several of Favor Hamilton’s “tour stops” in other cities — including Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Chicago — were scheduled at the same time as her travels for the Disney and Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon running series.

“We are shocked, embarrassed and deeply saddened by the recent reports that Suzy Favor Hamilton lived a double life as an escort,” said Dan Cruz, spokesman for the Competitor Group, which organizes the marathon series. “Admittedly, this was a part of a secret life that she did not share with those, like us, that she worked with in her capacity as a former world-class athlete. There are no plans to continue any sort of appearance relationship with her speaking at our expos in the future.”

Suzy Favor Hamilton competes at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Sacramento.

Favor Hamilton, a Wisconsin native and University of Madison-Wisconsin graduate, competed but never medaled in the Olympics in 1992 in Barcelona, 1996 in Atlanta and 2000 in Sydney, where she fell to the track in the final 200 meters of the 1500 meter final. She once appeared in a Nike commercial featuring a chainsaw wielding, hockey-mask-wearing man that drew criticism for its perceived sexist message and violent imagery.

“I cannot emphasize enough how sorry I am to anyone I have hurt as a result of my actions and greatly appreciate the support from family and those closest to me,” shecontinued. “I fully intend to make amends and get back to being a good mother, wife, daughter, and friend.”

She holds personal best of 1 minute, 58.10 seconds for the 800 meters, 4:22.93 for the mile and 15:06.48 for the 5000 meters. In her collegiate career, she won nine NCAA titles before winning three USA Outdoor 1500-meter titles and three USA indoor champion titles.

“I realize I have made highly irrational choices and I take full responsibility for them,” she said. “I am not a victim here and knew what I was doing.”